Sabrejet

I lose track of the 917s I've made in 1/43, but those that stick in the mind include Starter (917/30 lift-off body); MFH (917K and 917/30) and BBR/Project 43 (917/10-71).

Can't help with a photo but they look like OZ to me.

I wish I could be precise, but it's Mr Color Silver with Mr Color White and I'm guessing at about 10% white. However I go by the "that looks about right" school of paint mixing!

Those two vents are OK: keep them! I haven't used those paints but use Mr Color Silver with various proportions of black and white to do various shades on NMF schemes. This is my TF-86 using this method:

Erwin, 1. The Fujimi "Mig Killer" kit is Ok for "The Huff". 2. I'm not sure if the intake is present on the "MiG Killer" kit but it's arrowed below. It's a TACAN cooling intake, and not unique to Japanese aircraft but those equipped with TACAN. Delete it! 3. Air brakes are too square - photo above shows how I fix it by adding a plastic wedge and then sanding it flush to the fuselage contour. 4. Yes black cockpit, interior green wheel wells, air brake wells and panel interiors. Seat headrest for The Huff was dark brown/black.

I've belatedly managed to scan the two Hastings AP's I have: images from those are here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBiud4

Rather than hijack a neighbouring thread, I have belatedly posted a few HP Hastings Air Publication scans here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBiud4 You might want to bulk download these because I have a habit of deleting images to free-up storage space!

JASDF has the added benefit of being an overall silver (not natural metal) finish.

No. It was a joke, deliberately thus.

If you need accuracy, book/online probably isn't the way to go. You need manufacturer's loft drawings. AirCorps Library maybe?

Fairey Fantôme.

...it was a joke?

I know, but it doesn't hurt to remind every so often that the market is flooded with WW2 types while other eras are very poorly served. It's usually less than a year after the 'definitive' kit of a Bf.109/Spitfire/P-51 being issued that someone's bleating that we need an "up-to-date" kit of exactly the same type.

100%. There are those who suck the life out of this hobby by spotting 'errors' in kits, which often are no such thing and more usually of minimal importance. In fact often these 'errors' are based on recently-generated plans which are not subject to any kind of peer review. The meaning of 'primary source' is also often not understood. Back to 1/32 Eduard: some inter-war US bomber types please! (starting with Curtiss B-2 Condor)

I remember seeing photos of it built in a period magazine review: it was truly awful! I made the Rareplanes FJ-4 around the same time and wondered why Merlin had bothered.

I really hope that JETMADS stay with resin (I suspect they will). There are already gazillions of styrene kit manufacturers: leave us resin enthusiasts a few crumbs at least!

For QF aircraft, seats were usually only fitted for manned flights. PQM-designated drones didn't have man-rating.

I hope these might help: apologies for small image size but this was my first digital camera, circa 2001! First a view of the shock absorber, brake pack removed: Then this is the top end of the Main Gear bay, with the leg and screwjack removed; the hoist for removing the shock absorber is installed where the screwjack usually mounts vertically to the top of the shock absorber: LH gear, showing the transverse shaft that links forward and aft right-angle gearboxes to their respective screwjacks. One of the right-angle gearboxes: And another view of the track, with removal GSE installed and screwjack in situ. The 'window' (dark patch) next to the top of the screwjack was a panel that could be removed from inside the cabin to allow the screwjack to be disconnected from the drive in flight so that the landing gear could still be wound down in case of a system failure/jam up-stream: there was no excuse to land gear-up in a Herc. It was belt and braces and more braces and belts!

Lovely work: I see that you have learned about SAC landing gears the hard way. They are a complete waste of money!!!!

We're still waiting for Scimitar news: I'd expect this to be several years away.

Blast from the past! Gakken was the manufacturer of this kit: RiKo (Richard Kohnstamm) was the importer, in the same way that Hales used to deal with Hasegawa etc.

I thought I'd seen a model somewhere! IIRC it was painted the same grey as those early P-80s. Must have been built from the Sharkit version.

I'm sure this must have been kitted before, being such an iconic milestone. But this looks like it will be nice!

It used to be in the main museum with 'Calvin & Hobbs' graffiti. It looks to be over on the far side of the Conservation Centre now, away from the viewing gallery.

Isn't there one of these at Bovington?